Referees

UFC 35 Pay Per View numbers were a disappointment, recording just 35,000 buys following the 65,000 turned in by UFC 34. This was unsurprising, as none of the UFC's biggest draws, like Tito Ortiz or Randy Couture, appeared on the card. Instead, it was headlined by a championship bout in the fledgling Lightweight division, pitting “Little Evil” Jens Pulver against hot newcomer BJ “The Prodigy” Penn.

Although Penn was considered the next big thing at 155lbs. at the time of the fight, Pulver, the defending champion, pulled off the biggest upset of his career by winning a Decision after five rounds of action. Following the loss, Penn's cardio and heart in the later rounds of a fight would be questioned for years to come.

According to Pat Miletich in a 2008 interview with Sherdog, the fighters of UFC 35 were plagued by flu-like symptoms prior to the broadcast, but the event went on as planned.